Obsidian Architecture: Corsair 700D/800D Reviewed

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Introduction and Specifications

When we sat down to review Corsair's acclaimed 700D and 800D chassis, we couldn't help reflecting on how much the PC case market has evolved over the last decade. Ten years ago, when we were cutting our teeth on CPUs with code names like Coppermine and Thunderbird, enthusiast enclosures were few and far between. With the exception of Lian-Li, which was building $200+ all-aluminum nerd artwork even back then, the majority of the companies providing cases to the DIY market were busy churning out beige boxes with features that included:

Face plates that could be removed by hand rather than by specialized screwdriver, and finally,

Drive rails

You can still buy these sorts of cases—there are plenty of mainland Chinese bottom-suckers who prefer to glue their chassis together with the shattered dreams of inland migrant workers rather than those expensive pop rivets—but the price range between cheap junk and luxury hotness has exploded with a variety of chassis in the past ten years. In a market that's literally teeming with options from a variety of established manufacturers, how do Corsair's brushed-metal beauties measure up?

Above, we have the 700D and 800D side-by-side. The differences between the two models are minimal; the 800D is ~$50 more and offers four hot-swap hard drive bays and a case window. We've included photos of both cases in our review but unless it involves one of the stated features above, any photo of the 700D is also representative of the 800D.